This Is Me

Before I had a became a mum, I never left the house with my hair up. Never. I always wore it down so I could hide behind it. Tying my hair up made me so self conscious of my bad skin and just my face in general. As I’ve said before in a previous post, I have very low self esteem & never see myself as pretty. So having long hair was kind of a safety blanket. I would happily wake up half an hour earlier to straighten my hair. Sleep could wait. I always wore full make up too. The thought of leaving the house without my mask terrified me! What if people stared at my ugly, spotty face? I was disgusted with my skin so I was sure others would be too.

But becoming a parent really does change your priorities and outlook on life. I’ve realised that no one is judging me but me. And that actually, I would rather have that extra time in the morning to either sleep (if Teddy is asleep!) or to spend time with my boy. I only started wearing my hair in a ponytail or a ‘mum bun’ a few months ago. It’s just far easier, quicker and I don’t have to wash it as much! Dry shampoo is just amazing. Teddy also thinks it’s a great game to try and pull big handfuls of hair from my scalp when it’s down. Make up, I had down to concealer, eye shadow & mascara when I couldn’t be bothered but recently I’ve been trying to make a little bit more effort (I have reduced my time though!)

Maybe it’s just me but I guess I’ve come to realise what’s important in my life at the moment. And my appearance isn’t of as great a concern as it used to be. My husband loves me, my boys love me. Maybe I still don’t love me but I feel like I’m slowly getting there. I never used to post a photo on social media unless I was in full make up or it had an amazing filter over it. Who wants to see spots, lines & eye bags? Well actually, I do. I’m proud of my crows feet, I think they show character. Without wanting to sound cheesy and cliched, we should be embracing our flaws instead of hiding them away. That’s what make us who we are. I will wear my sleep deprived dark circles with pride! I’m a mother, I’m meant to look knackered!

So here’s a photo of me with messy hair, no make up, no filter and a giant spot on my nose! I know! Bloody awful right? But I don’t care. This photo makes me happy and that’s what’s important. So who’s brave enough to join me and share a make up free, natural selfie? If you fancy it, upload on Instagram and use the hashtag #thisisme